Kevin Bate

Kevin Bate moved to Chattanooga in 1994. He had flirted with a career in art a few times (bought it drinks, took it out on Valentine’s Day, etc.) but was never quite able to commit to it.

In 2011, all of that changed. Married with a newborn, Kevin decided (for some crazy reason) that this was the perfect time to attempt another launch of his art career. One afternoon while his infant son was sleeping, Kevin snuck out to the shed to look for art supplies. What he found instead was plywood, house paint and one inch brushes.

Understandably, his first paintings were quite large. This is probably why he jumped so quickly to murals. Since then, his works have appeared everywhere from Highland Park, MLK Blvd, the North Shore and venues such as Track 29.

Kevin has just completed The Fallen Five Mural, a memorial to the victims of the July 16, 2015 shootings in Chattanooga. It is part of The McCallie Walls Project, a neighborhood beautification and paying-artists-a-living-wage-for-their-work project that he curates. Lately, he has sent fan mail to Chuck Close and received props on Instagram from reluctant Chattanooga native, Usher.